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Kamran Ansari, Mumbai's sole hope at U-17 World Cup

With India winning the bid to host the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2017, it seems likely that the the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai will get to host a match. The AIFF have been quick in to have shortlisted 45 kids from the country to make the perfect squad. But what many don't know is that there is only one local who stands a chance of making a bow in front of the Mumbai crowd in two years time.

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With India winning the bid to host the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2017, it seems likely that the the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai will get to host a match. The AIFF have been quick in to have shortlisted 45 kids from the country to make the perfect squad. But what many don't know is that there is only one local who stands a chance of making a bow in front of the Mumbai crowd in two years time.

Kamran Ansari who lives in Madanpura, Byculla, loves nothing better than playing at the YMCA ground in his neighbourhood. The 14-year-old admits that he "does not remember a day when he hasn't gone to the ground."
A student of Antonio De Souza High School (Byculla), Ansari started playing football when he was 10. His inspiration was none other than his father who used to play for Bombay Muslims in the First Division of the Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA). "I used to see my dad play and always wanted to become a footballer like him one day," Ansari said.

It wasn't an easy start for Ansari. With his school participating in the fourth division of the MSSA competition, it was Bombay YMCA a club in the MDFA league where his exploits earned recognition. So much so that his coach suggested that he goes for Mumbai U-15 selections. He not only got selected to represent the city, but also played for Maharashtra in the National U-15 Sub-Junior Championship.

Ansari made all the right noises, and did it in style. The left-winger scored four hattricks in four consecutive games (vs Gujarat, Goa Daman & Diu, Madhya Pradesh) to emerge as Maharashtra's best player and make the cut as one of the probables for the India Camp.

If he gets selected in the final cut, Ansari will train at AIFF's Elite academy in Goa till the World Cup. "The challenging thing about being selected is leaving your home for the next three years at least. But there is nothing that I want more, so I'm willing to do anything to achieve that," said Ansari.

The standard-eight kid isn't burdened by the amount of expectation on him or the fact that he is the only player from Mumbai. "It's my dad's dream to see me play in the 2017 World Cup. And I can't let him down. The only thing I think about is making my dad proud."

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